Perfidious Albion

A phrase that describes Britain or England as treacherous or untrustworthy, especially in international affairs. It is often wrongly attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte although he did use the expression often. It is in fact a rendering of the French phrase 'la perfide Albion', said to have been coined in French by the Marquis de Ximenes (1726–1817). Both English and French versions of the phrase are first recorded in English from the mid 19th century. 'Albion' is an old word for the British Isles first used by Greek cartographers in the 4th century BC, and later adopted by the various Celtic languages in Britain.